Servant of Darkness
by Corianna15
Summary: Sequel to my story..."A Servant of None" He watched it all happening, unable to do anything about it. His soul felt dark, cold and alone. He had tried everything he could think of to break free from the hold of the Darkness, and failed. Is this how it would be to the end of time? Was he doomed to sit and watch It ravage the world he loved?
1. Chapter 1

**This story is a sequel to my previous story, "A Servant of None." If you haven't read it, you should before continuing.**

 **WARNINGS: This story is rated M for a reason as it contains VIOLENT THEMES. If you are sensitive to anything, like torture, sexual assault, slavery…don't read.**

Chapter 1: Stranger

The tension and excitement of the past week had finally started to settle down. War had been avoided and the daily duties of running a kingdom had fallen back onto Arthur's shoulders. It was difficult for Arthur to stay focused despite their victory, because it had come with a great loss. While Arthur was better prepared, emotionally, to deal with Merlin's "death" this time around, it was still painful. It did not help that he couldn't walk anywhere in the castle without one of the knights or council members apologizing to him for doubting him or telling him how pleased they were he was feeling better; a constant reminder of the drama and chaos Merlin had created.

After encountering more of the same this morning, he had decided to hide out for a while, before the afternoon council meeting. As much as he was trying to go about acting like things were back to normal, he couldn't let his guard down. Morgana was still out there. After they had avoided the battle, Arthur had dispatched a small patrol, led by Gwaine, to her hovel to take her into custody. However when they arrived, she was gone. The next morning he had gone down to the dungeons to confront his uncle and interrogate him about Morgana's whereabouts, only to find him gone as well. The guard was unconscious, and the cell while still locked, was empty. They had sent patrols back to Morgana's hovel, but could not pick up a trail.

A sense of foreboding had followed Arthur ever since, and he found himself filled with longing, once again. "Merlin. I wish you were here." He said softly.

***** _IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS_

As the meeting was drawing to close, Arthur became restless. The subject matter of discussion early on had been pretty standard, everyday issues to deal with. When it came to an update about the real threat however, no information had yet surfaced about Morgana or Agravaine's whereabouts. The council had exhausted all avenues they could think of, used every resource, and still had no information. While the lack of her presence currently meant a little bit of peace for the kingdom, Arthur knew that eventually she would be back, and he had no idea how to fight her. Knowing now that any victory they had had, when confronting magic, the last few years was due to Merlin's assistance, Arthur couldn't shake a deep fear that when Morgana regrouped and decided to attack again, they would be defenseless.

Arthur dismissed the council, and people were starting to gather their various documents, when the heavy chamber doors suddenly swung open seemingly of their own accord. Everyone stopped and stared at the figure that stood in the doorway, causing them to freeze in their tracks. Despite the fact that the man was not very large, his presence was intimidating as he was clothed in black from head to toe.

Black leather riding gloves met the sleeves of a black tunic which "V"d at the neck, and was laced together by cording. It flowed down his torso, tucked into loose fitting black leather trousers, held by a thick black belt with bronze studs. As he moved into the room with confident strides, it wasn't his clothes, or the sound of his black boots against the stone floor that chilled Arthur to his core, it was the black hooded cloak, fastened around the strangers' neck, which hid his face. Recent events had left Arthur with a dislike for hoods, as it triggered not so pleasant memories. The long cape draped off his shoulders and billowed behind him as he continued forward. There was a straight path to Arthur through the crowd, and the figure made it halfway before two knights moved to block his progression.

He didn't break stride as he raised his hands and moved them in a manner as if pushing through thick brush in the forest. The two knights stumbled backwards a few steps, as the man passed them.

' _Sorcery.'_ Arthur thought with fear and disdain. Although he had accepted Merlin and what he had been, he had yet to truly make up his mind about magic. Merlin had told him he would need it to defeat Morgana, but he had been avoiding discussing the matter in council and making a decision. Now a sorcerer was striding into his castle and Arthur had no means to defend himself or his kingdom against such a threat.

He and the other knights took a stance, ready for a fight. But after two more strides the stranger suddenly dropped down to one knee, head bowed before the king.

"My Lord." His voice gave Arthur pause. It was deep and raspy, yet familiar. He looked at his knights who were staring at him, waiting, ready to move if the King commanded. He shook his head and signaled for them to stand down, which they did hesitantly, keeping a wary eye on the stranger.

"Who are you and what is your business here?" Arthur demanded.

"I bring news of Morgana, My Lord." He said, still looking at the ground.

Arthur's eyes lit up. ' _Finally,'_ he thought. "Well let's hear it then." He knew he was being rash, that he should be more cautious. He didn't know anything about the sorcerer in front of him, but given the fact that he hadn't attacked and tried to kill anyone yet, he was willing to listen. It was really the only thing Arthur reasoned he could do. If he tried to arrest him, Arthur knew it would not go well, for them.

"I'm sorry, my lord. I would only risk this information for the King's ear alone."

"Yes, of course," Arthur agreed, eager for any information about Morgana. He looked up and addressed the room. "You are all dismissed, thank you." There were murmurs as the council members continued to gather their things and file out of the hall. The knights however, were not so swift to exit the hall.

"Sire," Sir Leon voiced from Arthur's right. "You cannot honestly expect us to leave you alone with this, this sorcerer?" He stood with his hand on his sword, addressing the King, but not taking his eyes off the stranger.

"You have your orders..." Arthur started, but was interrupted by the stranger.

"No, my King. Your knight is quite right. If it will ease the minds of all, I will permit some to stay." Leon inwardly balked at the audacity of the man's words. "If there are those that you trust, whole heartedly, without doubt. They may remain."

Arthur looked around and met the eyes of Leon, Gwaine, Percival and Elyan, each nodding agreement in response to their king and each other.

"Right then," Arthur said. "The four of you know who you are, everyone else is dismissed." As the small crowd began to file out of the hall, Arthur caught a glimpse of Gaius and called out. "Gaius! Please stay as well." As Gaius got closer Arthur said more quietly, "I will need your counsel in this matter." The seconds it took to clear the hall could have been hours for Arthur, as he was anxious to hear the news.

The knights stood tense as they watched the last guard leave the room and close the doors. The stranger hadn't moved from his position on the floor, staying still as a statue.

At the large thud of the doors being shut, he stood up and removed his hood.

Arthur never really was much of a thinker. It wasn't a widely known fact, but he was driven more often than not, by his heart, his emotions and his gut.

And that held true for this moment, that he, the knights and Gaius stood staring at the smiling face of Merlin. Something in the back of Arthur's mind screamed a warning, but his heart didn't listen. The joy and relief he felt outweighed the nagging doubt and fear and he moved forward towards the spirit of his old friend.

"You stayed!" Arthur exclaimed. He knew Merlin had had doubts about hanging around as a spirit, and in truth, so had he, until the day after Merlin had said good-bye. Arthur had regretted not fighting harder to convince him to stay longer, before going back to the spirit world.

"Well," Merlin chuckled, "not exactly." Merlin moved towards Arthur, pulling his gloves off, the gap closing quickly between the two men.

The knights moved forward, but not out of joy or relief. Despite their last encounter with the spirit, where he was free from Morgana and the evil thing in his mind, when it came to their King, they were always on guard.

Arthur paused at Merlin's comment. "What do you mean?" Arthur asked just as Merlin closed the distance between them.

Merlin tossed his gloves at his old friend. Arthur instinctively brought his hands together to catch the objects and was surprised as he felt the soft leather. He was momentarily dumbfounded and jumped when he felt a hand come down firmly, and grip his right shoulder.

His looked at the hand, dropped the gloves and grabbed the arm attached to the hand. He tried to speak but no words came out. It was solid; flesh and bone. His gaze followed the arm to the body and up to the face of the friend he had lost. Now that he was closer he could see the signs of life. While the skin was still pale, it, as well as the lips, had a pinkish tone to it, rather than the blue it had a few days ago. With his left hand, Arthur reached out to touch the grinning face.

"Merlin?" He almost choked on the name, emotion welling deep inside him. A part of him held back, afraid it wasn't real.

Merlin brought his hands out to the side. "In the flesh!" He bowed slightly.

"MERLIN!" Arthur shouted with delight and pulled the other man into a tight embrace, laughing, tears starting to well up.

Merlin was laughing as well and pulled away slightly, to look at his friend, but both men kept their arms locked together. For that moment, Arthur cared about nothing else. His hope and his joy drowning out the small voice of caution screaming in the back of his mind.

For a few seconds, nobody else moved, as they watched the reunion between Arthur and Merlin.

Joy. Fear. Relief. Doubt. The conflicting emotions held Gwaine in place. He longed to surge forward and join Arthur in embracing Merlin, however, his mind screamed warnings. _'Not right. Not right!'_ The image of the twisted spirit still fresh in his mind. But as he looked at the man in Arthur's arms he began to notice the difference, and realized that the man before them was not the spirit that had tormented them previously. Joy flooded into him. Then questions such as 'How?' and 'Why?' took over and fear and doubt rose again. All these emotions and thoughts played themselves out within a matter of seconds, and the knight did not know which emotion to respond to. He was vaguely aware of Arthur's happy laugh and the exclamations from Percival and Elyan as they too had moved in to test the apparition. Seeing them shaking hands with Merlin and laughing drew Gwaine towards them, hope building again in his heart.

He had taken two steps forwards when an arm across his chest nearly knocked the wind out of him. He looked incredulously at the offending arm, then at its owner. He was about to snap at Leon, when he saw the hard and concerned expression on his fellow knight's face. Leon's eyes shifted, and Gwaine followed his gaze across the room.

Standing very still, well back from the reunion was Gaius. His stance was stiff, and his hands were locked together in front of him. If the lack of excitement from the old man wasn't enough of a sign that something about this was very wrong, then his expression was. There was no joy, or relief or tears. His mouth set in a thin hard line, and furrowed brows sat over stern eyes.

The two knights moved slowly towards the old man and didn't notice when Merlin's gaze locked onto their movements. He broke free of the hands around him and putting on his best smile moved towards the old physician.

"Gaius!" He said joyfully, then stopped and allowed his smile to fade. "What's wrong?" His voice laced with concern.

All movement in the room ceased and Gaius was aware that all eyes were now focused on him. He looked at the concerned, bright, young face before him. Like Gwaine and Leon, emotions were conflicting within. He straightened up and questioned the man who looked like Merlin.

"I'm quite alright. It's just," he started, "I am confused Merlin. You specifically forbade me and Arthur from trying to find a way to bring you back because..." he faltered here, looking at the ground.

"Because of the cost." Merlin finished. Gaius met his eyes. "I know what you're thinking." He moved closer to the old man and put a hand on his shoulder. Gaius stiffened at the touch. "But I swear. _I_ , didn't kill anyone."

"What do you mean you didn't kill anyone?" Gwaine blurted out.

Merlin turned around and looked at the group. "This is Morgana's doing." He said flatly. He turned back to Gaius. "Unlike us, she has no concern for life, and no qualms about employing all manner of dark magic to get her way."

"Gaius, what is he talking about?" Arthur asked, uncertainty in his voice.

The old man ignored Arthur, instead addressing his ward. "You're saying that Morgana performed the ritual to return you to the land of the living? Why would she do such a thing?"

"I'm not sure exactly, but I have an idea." He backed up so that he could see all of their faces before continuing his explanation. "Obviously the sleeping powder I doused her with the other night, wasn't as strong as I thought. When she realized that she had lost, she came up with a new plan. After I left you all the other night, just as I was getting ready to, to..." he paused, looking sad. "Um, well I suddenly found myself face to face with Morgana on the Isle of the blessed. She was chanting, and I could feel her dark magic, and suddenly breath hit my lungs and when I fell forward, I could feel the ground solid beneath me before I blacked out. When I came to I was chained up in some dark cave."

"I decided not to stick around and wait for Morgana to torture me, or place a spell on me, or whatever it was that she was planning." He turned to Arthur. "I was worried for you, all of you. So after I freed myself I headed straight for Camelot as fast as I could."

"Wait. How did _you_ , break yourself out of chains?" Gwaine asked skeptically.

"I don't understand," Elyan interjected. "What could Morgana possibly hope to gain by bringing you back?"

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Gwaine interjected, stepping forward. "For all we know, you could be Morgana in disguise, trying to fool us!"

Merlin backed away from the onslaught, and confused and hurt glares, holding his hand out in front of him, in a placating gesture. He looked pleadingly at Arthur.

Momentarily Arthur dropped his eyes. Merlin saw the King take a deep breath. What he didn't notice right away was Leon, with his sword drawn moving to place himself between Arthur and Merlin.

"Whoa!" Merlin exclaimed. "Leon, there's no need for that. I'm not here to hurt anybody."

Arthur looked up at Merlin's words. He reached out and placed a hand on Leon's shoulder. "Leon." He said in a commanding tone. "It's alright. Everybody please calm down. We..."

"I'm sorry your highness," Leon interrupted. "But you are not thinking clearly." Keeping his sword pointed at Merlin, he looked back at his King. "Have you forgotten, my lord, that when he entered this chamber he used magic? He's nothing but a sorcerer trying to deceive you. Look at him!" He fixed his gaze on Merlin again. "Dressed like death himself."

Arthur focused on Merlin, standing there with his arms crossed. He shook his head slightly. When his eyes met Arthur's, there was amusement in them. Arthur did not find the situation funny.

Trying to bring the room back to order Arthur raised his voice. "Well, _Merlin_." He said loudly, stressing the name. "What do you have to say for yourself?" Everyone fell silent and looked at the darkly clothed man.

The humor vanished from Merlin's face. His posture slumped a little and he exchanged a familiar look of understanding with Arthur. He then turned towards the rest of the group.

"I know my attire is not quite what you are used to." He gestured at himself. "But I didn't exactly have access to my closet when I woke up in that cave." He smiled at Arthur, a mischievous but humorous, classically Merlin smile. Despite the tension and doubt in the room, it helped to calm the King's nerves. "Besides," he continued in a more jovial tone. "When you're dressed like this? Nobody bothers you. People see you coming and move to the other side of the road, and they especially don't want to make eye contact." He looked at Percival. "Now I know how it must feel to be you."

Percival laughed nervously, and Elyan smiled until a death glare from Leon shut them up.

"Fools!" He snarled. Arthur was taken aback by the vehemence in Leon's voice. He looked at his oldest knight in shock.

Leon was scared. Not for himself, but for his King, his friends and Camelot. He was face to face with a dark magic. He could feel it, but for some reason the others could not. Arthur was being lured in by grief. He didn't know how he could defeat a sorcerer powerful enough to pull off this kind of deception, but he was sure as hell going to try.

He faced the man, and pointed his sword at him. "Whoever you are, I've heard enough. You used magic, we all saw it. You can't talk your way out of that. Merlin was not a sorcerer."

The man had the gall to laugh at him, and what made it worse was how much he looked like Merlin when he did it. He put his hand over a wide mouthed grin that caused his eyes to shrink to slits. He turned away from Leon and looked towards Gaius. Leon decided to take advantage of the exposed back and moved in, swinging his sword over his head.

"Merlin look out!" Arthur yelled, and Merlin turned quickly to face Leon.

Leon was determined to end this; he wasn't even fazed when he saw Merlin's eyes flash gold. What did startle him though was when his sword stopped in midair a little more than a hand's length from the sorcerer's face.

The others in the room gasped as Merlin calmly stepped to the side, and the sword continued on its trajectory, the unexpected motion throwing Leon on the ground. Merlin quickly moved over to stand behind Arthur, who had already moved forward when he saw Leon move to attack.

Gwaine, Percival and Elyan ran towards Leon and helped him up. Anger burned in their eyes. Arthur raised his hands. "Okay everyone. Like I said, if everyone will just calm down. We can explain."

"Explain what?" Gwaine said. "Did you not see what just happened?" Gwaine paused.

"Yes. Look I know it's a bit of a shock. It wasn't easy for me either when I first found out."

The knights looked at him confused. "Found out what sire?" Elyan asked.

"That Merlin was" he paused and corrected himself, "is a sorcerer." Arthur noticed how all the knights exchanged looks, and he knew what it meant. "I'm not crazy, or under any spell. Gaius? Tell them."

All eyes turned to the old man standing quietly off to the side.

Gaius looked at the expectant faces of the young men in front of him. Skepticism and surprise on that of the knights; hopefulness on his King's; and lastly that of his former ward. His main focus was on the face of the young man that had been like a son to him. Gaius had expected Merlin's face to hold the same hopefulness and pleading as Arthur's, wanting Gaius to confirm the truth and validate his existence; however his expression was very very different.

It was not what Gaius would have expected, but was completely Merlin at the same time. In his posture and facial expression, there was a questioning look with a pinch of nervousness thrown in. Gaius knew the expression on Merlin's face was a mask; it was the eyes that gave away the truth. His bright blue eyes flashed with mischief, one born of knowing something that no one else in the room did. It was a look Gaius had seen many times before on the boy. It was the face that he had developed over the years, when he had to pretend that he knew nothing about what was going on.

Gaius couldn't help but wonder at it. Right in front of him was a possibility he had dared not hope for, that the boy was there and returned to him. He had managed to survive many things over the years, against all odds. He was powerful, and prophesied to do great things. Gaius tried to rationalize the reality in his head. Other than the attire, the boy in front of him was familiar in every way, and very different from the ghostly being that they had encountered days before.

He straightened up and addressed the group. "Merlin was, is..." he corrected himself, "indeed a sorcerer." He could see the internal struggle on the faces of the knights. "I have known this from the day he arrived in Camelot. I..."

"I saved his life the first day we met." Merlin spoke up, moving from behind Arthur and slightly towards Gaius. A slightly embarrassed look came over his face, and he scratched at his forehead near his hairline, tilting his head slightly, looking at the ground. "Actually it was my fault in the first place." Gaius noticed the familiar gesture. "You see, the first time I entered his chambers he was organizing supplies in the mezzanine, and I startled him, causing him to fall." He looked at Gaius. "I used my magic to quickly move his bed to catch him."

"Is that true Gaius?" Leon asked cautiously, his eyes never leaving Merlin.

"Yes. That was Merlin's first day in Camelot. I had suspected that he used magic in order to do it, and I tested him later, to be sure."

"Gaius has been keeping my secret all these years." The knights were a mix of relief, disbelief, confusion and anger.

"Honestly Gwaine," Merlin appealed to his closest friend in the group of knights. "How do think I have managed to survive everything that we have been through the last few years, riding out with all of you, unarmed and without armor?" A look of annoyance came over Merlin's face. "Well that is until recently."

Leon looked to Arthur. "You knew about this then?" He began hesitantly. "Despite Camelot's laws and..." Arthur held up his hand cutting the knight off.

"I only found out last week, the day before Merlin and I called that meeting with all of you."

Gwaine and Elyan shivered at the memory, Leon made a face.

"Merlin was right. We can't possibly hope to defeat Morgana, without the help of magic. She is too powerful." He used his royal authority voice. "It is time to put prejudices aside, and focus on protecting this kingdom," he looked sideways at Merlin, "by any means possible."

Merlin chimed in quickly to keep them from thinking too long on it. "Look, I regret what happened last week when I was under Morgana's control, but I'm free of her now." He looked at them pleadingly. "Please, give me a chance to prove myself to you. Ask me anything."

And so they did. In the end, Merlin had answered all their questions, and even managed to shed some light on things that hadn't made sense in the past.

Eventually Percival was the first to give in, and embraced him. "Glad to have you back."

Elyan grasped his forearm, and echoed the sentiment. Leon simply nodded in Merlin's direction, having never really had that type of relationship with his King's manservant.

He wasn't surprised at Leon's reaction. He could feel the distrust still lingering. Unlike the other knights, Leon had grown up in Camelot, with a lifetime distrust of magic. He had convinced them, that he was in fact Merlin, but getting them to trust him one hundred percent, he didn't really care about. They would eventually, whether they wanted to or not.

The sorcerer's eyes rested on Gwaine. He was quietly studying the dark clad figure. He had always suspected that there was more to Merlin than simply a king's manservant, but he never would have guessed sorcery. He wanted to believe it, to trust his friend. Gaius and the King seemed convinced, but Gwaine was wary. He would play along for now, but he would not let down his guard.

"So next time we run into Morgana I guess I'll have to thank her for bringing my friend back." Gwaine playfully and slapped a hand on his shoulder.

Merlin's expression softened and he grasped Gwaine's arm. "It's good to be back, really back this time."


	2. Chapter 2

_She stood on the Isle of the blessed. Even within the circle of flickering torches, the darkness was oppressive. The ritual she was performing was a dark one, evil to the core. She had dealt in black magic before, but this spell frightened her. She didn't know or understand the incantation, but she didn't need to. It was what_ he _wanted her to say._

 _As she recited the words, she tried not to look into the terrified eyes of the man bound and gagged below her. Despite the howling wind, Agravaine's muffled cries reached her ears. She had never really cared for the man, despite his obvious lust and devotion to her. He had been a means to an end, a tool to be used only as long as it was useful. Yet she felt pity for him now, and wished it didn't have to be like this. She paused in her chanting, and glanced at the dark figure that stood across the courtyard. Lightning flashed suddenly in the cloudless sky, and a chill ran through her. She still couldn't believe how things had gone so wrong._

 _Morgana leaned down and gently placed her hand on her former ally's head. "I'm sorry." She said simply, and continued with the incantation. It had been made clear to her; perform the ritual or die. And she valued her life more. She grabbed the dagger and stone bowl from the altar. She slid the knife deep, across the inside of Agravaine's upper left arm and the blood spilled forth, like water bursting from a dam. Agravaine screamed through his gag. She ignored him and positioned the bowl to catch the crimson fluid._

 _As his lifeblood left him, Agravaine's muffled cries slowly subsided. Once the bowl was full she stood up, letting the rest of the dark red liquid to trickle slowly to the ground. She stared in fascination, tracing the winding red river with her eyes. She was startled when she looked across the altar to find the hooded figure standing before her._

" _Well," an eerie voice said impatiently. "What are you waiting for?"_

 _She moved to his side of the altar quickly, driven by fear, and began pouring the blood on the ground, forming a circle around him. She took a deep breath and recited the last part of the spell. As she spoke the words, she felt a chill rise all around her. The wind began to howl, and flashes of crimson light began to circle overhead. She shouted the rest of the spell, and as the last word left her mouth a strong wind and crack of lightning threw her backwards._

 _The hot torrent whipped at her hair and clothes, stinging her eyes. She rolled over to protect her face. A crack of thunder reached her ears, and then suddenly, it was quiet and calm. She lifted her head and looked back._

 _The hooded figure had dropped to one knee inside the circle, which now burned with blue flame. She got to her feet, and made a move forward, curious. Her curiosity was short lived however, when her eyes fell upon the twisted corpse lying on the altar. Dry, taught skin clung to the bones. There was no resemblance to her once ally._

 _'I have to get out of here.' She thought, and turned to flee. She made it three steps before she felt like she had hit an invisible wall. She tried to turn around, but discovered she was frozen in place. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye, and then he came into her line of vision. His hand outstretched, and his head tilted, wearing a cocky, amused grin. The firelight danced in his eyes._

 _Anger and hatred replaced the fear she had felt a minute ago. She couldn't look at that face, mocking her, and remain calm. Deep down she knew it wasn't him, but it didn't matter. She hated them both._

The violent images jolted her awake. It took a few seconds for her mind to calm down, and heart stop racing. She sat up in the bed and brought her hands to her head. She took in a few deep breaths as she waited for the fog and confusion to subside. Those images. They weren't the nightmares, which she knew now to be visions of the future, that had plagued her all her life. They were different.

Now that she was awake the images, no, 'memories?' she thought, were starting to fade. She tried to hold onto them but only saw flashes of things that didn't make sense. The Isle of the Blessed. A man screaming. An eerie laugh echoing in the dark. A body, the skin pulled taught over the skeleton. A familiar face grinning wickedly. She felt like she should know who it was, but when she tried to close her eyes and focus on the images, it all swirled into gray. A sense of dread washed over her.

She had awoken to the same images and sensations this morning, as well as the day before. She looked up and saw the late afternoon light streaming through the high window. It taunted her. If she could only reach it, she could escape. She glanced again, for the hundredth time, around the large circular room.

It was the same as it had been this morning, empty save for the bed, pushed against the far wall. Made of white stone, the walls soared high above her head and met six windows spaced evenly, in a way that would allow sunlight to enter, no matter what time of day or year. She had explored every inch of the walls already, trying to find hand and footholds that would allow her to climb up, but the walls has been expertly lined up and mortared, leaving no small ledges to take hold of.

Her eyes landed on the heavy wooden door across from her. She stood up and held out her hand.

"ætýne!" she said. Nothing happened. "ætýne!" She shouted. Still nothing. She sunk back down onto the bed. She had been unable to use her magic since waking up in this place. She could feel it was still with her, faintly, below the surface, but she could not call upon it. That realization the day before had terrified her the most. Without her magic she was helpless, vulnerable.

Her stomach painfully lurched and gurgled at her. It had been at least two days, maybe more, since she had had anything to eat. However, whoever her captor was had generously left her a full skin of water, though she had barely drunk any yesterday. Without her magic to test it, she had not been convinced that it wasn't poisoned, and she had tried to ignore her thirst. This morning however, she had given in, and thankfully was still alive. She reached for the water skin, hanging off the end of the bed, and took a small sip. As much as she wanted to gulp down the whole thing, she had no idea how long she would need it to last.

She looked thoughtfully at the skin, and anger boiled inside her. How could this have happened, to her! She was one of the most powerful sorceresses in all the land, and all those that stood against her either hated or feared magic; for magic was the only way someone could have been able to put her in this position. Frustrated, she tossed the water skin across the floor, and screamed. She leaned forward putting her head in her hands. Her fingers gripping her long black curls.

The overwhelming sense of helplessness returned to her. She would not cry, she would not cry, she told herself, but she was tired, hungry, scared and frustrated, and eventually, soft sobs flowed from her lips. She wanted to shut her eyes and forget the world around her, but that was what she had done a few hours ago. No rest awaited her in her sleep.

**** _THE NEXT DAY*****_

Morgana awoke once again, with a start. The memories had become clearer, but no less disturbing. She sat on the edge of the bed, trying to get her breathing under control. She fumbled with the water skin, and took a large gulp, no longer caring about preserving the last bit that remained.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and once again tried to remember something from the nightmares. When once again they eluded her, she decided to focus on the last thing she remembered, her last meeting with Agravaine. He had just informed her of the good news. Victory over her brother was within her grasp. He left and she was going to join her forces north of Camelot, but there was something else; a nagging that she couldn't place. Then, an image flashed in her mind; a face that she knew too well.

' _No_.' She thought. " _Merlin_?' She remembered now, she hadn't yet left her dwelling, and he was there. She had refused to give him what he wanted, freedom. Oh she had had such plans for him, but something had happened, but she couldn't recall it. It seemed preposterous to think that he had done this to her. She knew that spirits had some uncanny abilities to haunt and torment the living, but would a spirit really have been capable of this?

She debated back and forth in her head for a while until she was even more mentally and emotionally exhausted. She closed her eyes again and lay down on the bed, wanting to forget her current situation, wishing for darkness to consume her. Darkness. Her eyes popped open wide.

"The Dimscúa." She said softly to herself. A chill ran down her spine as a renewed sense of terror slowly crept over her.

She remembered, understanding now with more clarity, the true peril of her current situation. Something had gone horribly wrong with her spell. Somehow the dark thing she had unleashed had broken free of her control; that much she remembered. She barely had time to ponder further when there was a loud, metallic clang on the other side of the heavy wooden door. She stood, startled as the door began to slowly open inwards.

A ball of light shot into the room and hovered in the center. It floated just out of her reach, swirling and pulsing with different shades of yellow and orange. Morgana was so mesmerized by the sight she didn't notice the dark figure enter the room until the slam of the door shutting. She almost fell over backwards from fright as she caught sight of the dark hooded figure before her.

"Magic can create the most beautiful things don't you think?" He said mournfully. His voice was familiar yet strange to her ears. He crossed his arms, bringing one hand to his mouth in a contemplative manner. The gesture reminded Morgana of Arthur when he was deep in thought.

"Who are you? What do you want with me? Why can't I use my magic?" She demanded.

An amused chuckle emanated from the man before her. "My my, so many questions." He pulled back his hood and grinned mischievously at her. "As far as what I want with you, hmm that is the question is it not?"

" _YOU!"_ Her voice dripped with venom as she stared at the face of Merlin; no longer dead and tortured, but alive.

"Now now," he scolded. "Is that any way to greet an old friend?" He took a step towards her.

"What do you want?" She said slightly backing away.

He chuckled, a twinkle in his eyes. "Oh, many many things. But what do you want eh? Revenge? Power? I could give you all these things." He held out his hand and smiled at her. There was a glimpse when he smiled, of the Merlin she used to know. A carefree air she remembered, back when they both were innocent. She snorted, ignorant was more like it. She caught the quizzical look he gave her, but felt no need to share her thoughts. She glared back at him.

"My my, such hostility. You're not still upset about that whole ruining your plan to attack Camelot are you? Because honestly, it was a terrible plan. Or is it Agravaine's death that has you upset? Really now, he is no one to cry over." A darker expression crossed his face. "Treacherous filth got what he deserved." And in an instant he was smiling at her again.

"I can see our relationship will need some work. Unfortunately I will have to make a decision about what to do with you soon. I have big plans for Camelot, but I need to know be sure there are no loose ends. Can consider you as an ally, or I should turn you over to the King? Either way, I can only misdirect Arthur's pursuit of you for so long, before he and the knights will start to question me." Her eyes snapped to his at the mention of her brother's name.

"You've been in Camelot?"

"Of course. Once I had my body back, all I wanted to do was go home and see my friends again. Embrace Arthur and Gaius," a mischievous grin came over his face. "And tell them that everything was going to be all right."

"I don't understand how you were able to fool them in thinking you're Merlin. Or why you turned against me. We both want the same thing."

"Ah, ah ah." He taunted. "See that is where you are wrong, where you have gone wrong. Your lust is for power, to rule the kingdom as queen. Spout all the nonsense you want about your quest being to have magic accepted. You're too filled with bitterness and hatred to see the truth."

"Oh really. And what might that be?"

"Violence begets violence. Did you ever think to try and convince Arthur that magic wasn't evil? Of course not, because you only use magic for evil, selfish purposes. That's the way of the world though eh? Only the bad gets recognized. But now, we have a chance to fix all that, in part thanks to you. Merlin's death was tough on our young king and once I returned he was willing to accept me as I am. Especially once we proved our loyalty by thwarting your plans."

She snorted, "My brother may be dim sometimes, but he will see that you are not Merlin."

"Oh, but that is where you are wrong. I am Merlin. Every memory and ability is mine."

"Why would you bother being a pathetic manservant? How does being Merlin help you rule the kingdom and kill Arthur, why not Agravaine?"

A flash of anger crossed his face. "First of all, it was _you_ who bonded us, so I didn't really have much of a choice. Second, Arthur had already begun to suspect and distrust Agravaine." He smiled wickedly. "Besides why become a mere sniveling mortal like him when I could be the great and powerful Emrys?"

Morgana shivered at the name. "So you think your position in Camelot will help you find Emrys?" She was slightly intrigued. If she worked with this thing maybe it would help her destroy Emrys.

"No! You foolish girl. I _am_ Emrys!" She stared blankly at him, confused.

He laughed long and loud. "You see? This is why you failed in your latest attempt to take Camelot. You killed, and are fighting against the one person that you should have sought as an ally. I am the most powerful sorcerer of this age, but I've had to hide and have not had the ability to fully develop my magic. Now though, I am free. Magic will return to Camelot, and I have the ear of the King."

"I, I don't understand." She said pathetically, confused as she tried to process everything she was hearing.

"Haven't you ever wondered how when all of your plans failed," he spread out his arms and looked down at himself, "this as you said 'pathetic manservant' seemed to be in the Middle of them all? Or all the times I survived dangerous missions at the King's side, despite no armor, being scrawny and untrained in battle?"

' _No.'_ She thought. _'This, it can't be!'_ He stood there, a smug look on his face as he watched her try to process this new revelation. "But Emrys is an old man. I've seen him."

He chuckled. "A simple aging spell makes a great disguise."

He began to move towards her, she instinctively began backing away.

"Despite your lack of vision and your initial attempt to control me and bind me to your will," he came closer and the back of her legs hit the bed and terror began to fill her. "You gave me a gift that I could not have foreseen." He looked at her with soft eyes. "Which is why I want to thank you." He reached out to touch her face, but she flinched at his touch.

He grabbed her head and pulled her into a passionate kiss. She was taken off-guard and his lips and tongue invaded her mouth. She closed her eyes tightly as all these new sensations overwhelmed her and she felt limp in his arms. She instantly began to struggle, trying to push him off of her. He was stronger than she had expected and as she struggled, his grip only seemed to tighten. She turned her head quickly away, breaking the kiss, and dragged her nails deep across his face. He exclaimed loudly, releasing his grip around her waist and threw her to the floor. She landed painfully on her shoulder.

He hissed, "Wicked little witch!" He grabbed a fist full of her dark curls and yanked her up to her knees, wrenching her face towards him. His face was the one from her dream: irises completely black, a twisted snarl, eyebrows furrowed in anger. She should have been terrified, after everything, but in that moment of freedom from his grasp, her resolve returned. She may not have her magic, but she was still a high priestess. She stared defiantly back up into his dark eyes, and even though hers were still wet with tears, he noticed the difference. Morgana watched in fascination as his eyes faded back to normal, and the lines of his face softened. Sighing, he let go of her, and she fell back to a sitting position. He walked to the center of the room and sat down in a chair facing her. Morgana looked around the room puzzled. _'Where did that come from?'_

By the time she met his eyes again, she noticed that the bloody scratch marks had vanished. "Oh Morgana." He said softly. "Whatever shall we do with you?"


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N Sorry this chapter took so long. An entire section that I had written for it disappeared from my computer and it was really hard to rewrite, so it is not a good as it could have been.**_

Arthur sat in the throne room, alone. He was taking a break from the non-stop council meetings. While it seemed like a lot had changed, for the most part, life in the kingdom had returned to normal, save for one thing. Merlin.

There was now a sorcerer, attending the King, influencing and making important decisions. When Arthur had proposed the new revised laws on magic the week before, as expected there was a lot of opposition from the majority of the council members. When someone from the council had attacked Merlin directly, claiming he had cast a spell over the King, Arthur was surprised when he didn't get angry or laugh. He was very diplomatic.

" _I can assure you that Arthur is under no spell." Merlin said. The members of the council grumbled against that._

" _And I suppose we just have to take your word for it, sorcerer?"_

" _Yes." He held their gaze. He looked at Arthur. "May I speak My Lord?"_

 _Arthur had not expected this. "Of course, Merlin."_

" _Thank You. I know most of you remember the time before the purge, and since then have believed that outlawing magic has made this kingdom more peaceful. But I and Gaius can tell you that it has not. All Uther's hatred and outlawing of magic has done is to create enemies of magic users, like Morgana. His own daughter, born with a gift, but so afraid if it and Uther that she became evil." He paused and looked at them._

" _You all have no idea how many times I have saved Arthur, and this kingdom." There was a round of murmurs to that, but he pressed on. "And usually it was from some magical force or threat from someone who had been wronged by Uther. Morgana is not a forgiving person. She has her eyes set on Arthur's throne and she will not stop. You have witnessed first-hand her wrath, which was only thwarted because of me." He stared them down. The look in his eyes dared them to argue._

 _There was silence in the room._

Arthur had been stunned by his friend's boldness, the way he claimed authority over the room. Of course Merlin had always spoken out in Arthur's presence and on occasion had produced bouts of wisdom, but this was different. Maybe, Arthur thought, no longer having to hide the truth had made the former manservant bolder, could have also been coming back from the dead. Whatever it was, this was not the Merlin he knew, and for the hundredth time he reflected on whether or not he had ever really known him. How much of the goofy, clumsy and inept manservant was real? Or had it all been an act to hide his true self? The thought gave Arthur pause. What was Merlin now? For he was certainly could no longer serve Arthur as a simple manservant. If anything Arthur would need him in some sort of advisory position for the war with Morgana, when the time came. No one else in the kingdom was prepared or understood what was necessary to overcome such a foe. They had told the knights as much days before.

 _"Merlin is right. We can't possibly hope to defeat Morgana, without the help of magic. She is too powerful. It is time to put prejudices aside, and focus on protecting this kingdom," he looked sideways at Merlin, "by any means possible."_

The door to the throne room opened, bringing Arthur out of his musings. A guard walked quickly towards him.

* * *

Gwen coughed and backed away from the plume of smoke that exploded from the bowl. Gaius quickly placed a cover over it, extinguishing the small fire. "Why don't we take a break?"

"Oh Gaius," Gwen sighed. "I am afraid I am never going to get this." She sat down with a defeated "pfff." She used the apron on her dress to wipe her face, which felt like it was covered in soot from her many failed attempts to complete the same potion.

"You just have to be patient with yourself. Any spell takes time to learn; even for those, like Merlin, who were born with a natural gift." She looked up at the old physician, but despite his encouraging words, his face was tired and sad looking. His glance drifted towards the small door at the other side of the room.

When Merlin had "died" Gaius had needed an assistant to replace him, and Gwen had stepped in. Basic medicine, and tasks that were too strenuous for the physician, she could handle. With the repeal of the anit-magic laws however, Gaius had brought out volumes of book on the healing arts, including potions and spells. She had been trying to master a simple potion to treat a simple cold for two days.

Gaius began cleaning the table and looking to reset the potion ingredients. As Gwen moved to help, the main door creaked slowly open. She was relieved to see Arthur poke his head in. The strong smell of smoke still hung in the air. "How're the magic lessons progressing?" He jested, but then noticed how Gwen's face fell. He moved quickly to her side. "Oh Arthur. I'm afraid I'm a lost cause when it comes to magic." Arthur looked over to Gaius who just shrugged. "I keep telling her that these things take time…"

Arthur pulled her into a loose hug. "Don't worry about. I'm sure, like Gaius said, with enough practice you'll make be a wonderful sorceress." He stressed the "s" on the last word and threw a silly tone on the word. She looked up at his face, with a look that said, _'I'm not amused.'_

"Speaking on sorcery," Arthur continued catching Gaius's eye. "Merlin was seen returning to the castle accompanied by a hooded figure. I thought that maybe you would accompany me in questioning him?" When Gaius gave him a questioning look he stuttered. "If this has something to do with magic, I would be grateful for your council." Which was true, however the past few days had left Arthur more shaken then he'd like to admit. His interactions with Merlin had not been as frequent and as easy as they once were. He was more authoritative, confident and distant in a way. He was becoming less and less comfortable interacting with Merlin on a one on one basis.

The old physician's eyes seemed to understand as his expression softened. "Of course sire."

* * *

Morgana stood uneasily by the window. Her hands were bound and he had instructed her not to remove her hood yet. While he on the other hand had done away with his cloak, and changed out of his traveling clothes. She had blushed and turned away when he had started to disrobe. He had noticed and laughed.

"Really now, milady." Suddenly he was in front of her, shirtless. "No need to be shy. Not after the past week." He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. An arm went around her back, but she kept her bound hands in front of her to keep him from getting too close, as he pulled her towards him. A slight smirk appeared on his face and she saw the fire and lust in his eyes. She pulled away from him, and he let her go. "Unfortunately, that will have to wait. We have other matters at hand." He headed back across the room and continued dressing.

* * *

Arthur, Gwen and Gaius walked down the hall towards Merlin's quarters. Arthur's sense of apprehension only increased as he noticed Gwaine, Leon, Percival and Elyan standing in the hall, outside the door to Merlin's room. They bowed when they saw him and Gwen approach, with mutterings of 'Sire' and 'My Lord' mixed in.

"Do I dare ask what you all are doing hanging around out here in the hall?" Arthur tried to lighten the mood.

"It seems our esteemed _court sorcerer_ ," although Gwaine had used the title in jest, Arthur thought it rather fitting, "has requested our presence." Gwaine said playfully. Arthur had no doubt he was slightly drunk. "But it appears that he forgot to unlock the door." To emphasize his point he grabbed the handle dramatically and pulled. The heavy wooden door did not budge.

"Did any of you think to knock?" Arthur said half-jokingly.

Gwaine crossed his arms and gave Arthur a look that said, 'What do you think?'

Arthur walked towards the door, trying to keep a playful tone, he came within arm's reach of the door. "Well, maybe..." Before he could finish his sentence, the heavy wooden door began to open, seemingly of its own accord. Arthur stood dumbfounded, and slightly embarrassed in the doorway. Leon and Percival acted fast entering the room before their king. Arthur noted this. That practice was a force of habit for his knights, in battle situations, but an unusual occurrence in the castle. Everyone was on edge about what and who Merlin had brought back to the castle.

Arthur recovered, following them in, he looked back and held out his hand to Gwen as she caught up with him. This caused Arthur not to see that Percival had stopped in front of him, and the young king ran into the back of the large man. Percival turned, sword drawn, apologizing, but not moving out of the way. Arthur rubbed the side of his head. Waving the knight off, he moved around him and saw what had caused the knights to halt abruptly.

Sitting across the room, looking as menacing as ever, was Morgana. Arthur's blood turned cold as he took in the sight of her. The knights had all drawn their swords, ready to defend their king.

"Wait, wait!" A voice yelled. Merlin came hurriedly around the corner, barefoot and shirt disheveled, as if he had been in the middle of dressing. He stood between the group and Morgana, his hands held out in front of him. Morgana remained seated in her chair.

"It's okay. She's not going to hurt anyone."

"What is that witch doing here?" Leon demanded.

Merlin took a breath and addressed Arthur. "Please sire, I can explain."

Arthur was angry, at many things in that moment, but he kept his exterior cool and calm and walked forward, locking eyes with the sorcerer. "Then please, Merlin. Explain to me what she is doing here?" He kept the tone in his voice strong and threatening. Whatever hesitation had plagued him earlier about confronting Merlin, was gone.

Merlin glanced back at Morgana, who watched him intently. Arthur thought he saw a flicker of fear and trepidation behind the cold look in her eyes.

Merlin stood up straight and faced him. "She is my prisoner." He looked at the knights. "Please, put your weapons away. There is no need for that. She can't hurt anyone." He quickly fixed his shirt and motioned to the table. "Please sit down and I will explain everything."

"No." Arthur said firmly, crossing his arms. "You will explain it now." That nagging feeling of ' _not right, not right_ ' was back, and Arthur couldn't shake it.

The sorcerer glanced at the group before him and saw the defiant determination. He sighed and ran his hand through his dark hair. "All right." He said in a defeated sigh.

"I went out into the kingdom on my own, disguised, trying to investigate the people's reactions to the changes in the magic laws." He heard Gwaine snort. "However, I wandered a ways into the forest, almost like I was being drawn there. That's when I came across her." He gestured to his captive. "She was injured, and I quickly discovered that she couldn't use her magic."

"How is that possible?" Arthur asked, arms still crossed.

"I do not know sire, she claims she doesn't know how it happened." He turned slightly and glanced at her. A wicked smile crossed his face; the others couldn't see it. "If I had to guess I'd say she was probably messing around with forces she doesn't understand." He turned back to the group.

Arthur watched Morgana intently during the exchange and could almost feel the hatred radiating from her body. He could definitely see it in her eyes, but for once it wasn't aimed at him.

Merlin continued. "I took her to a safe location until her wounds were healed."

"What was the point of healing her, if she's to be executed." Gwaine chimed in. Murmurs started throughout the room. Arthur noticed Morgana stiffen in her chair.

"That," Merlin said firmly. "Was not my intention, my hope is.."

"You can't be serious!" Gwaine exclaimed. "Sire," he turned to Arthur. "How many times.."

Arthur held up his hand to silence him. He looked at Merlin. "Your hope is what?"

"Arthur please. I know you have every right to sentence her to death for her crimes, but there's got to be something.."

"Her crimes are too great to ignore." Arthur continued before Merlin could. "She will have to stand trial and answer for all the pain she has caused." He held the sorcerer's eye and could see the conflict within. Arthur wondered if Merlin would be blatantly defiant or compliant. In reality Arthur realized that he had no control over Merlin. As powerful as he was, the man was in a position such that none of them, in reality, could challenge him. Arthur was relieved when he simply lowered his head.

"Of course sire." He said softly. "As you wish."

Morgana stood up suddenly from her chair. "What?" Her body was tense. Arthur could tell she wanted to run, but while her body showed fear, her face held the look of betrayal and anger. "You...you liar!" Before she could move too far from the chair, the sorcerer made a gesture with his hand and Morgana froze in place, and fell silent.

Arthur nodded to Gwaine and Percival, and they moved, cautiously, to get a hold of her. "Take her to the dungeon, in a cell away from others." While his face was serious, Arthur was a little disturbed by the glee he glimpsed in Gwaine's eyes. As the knights grabbed hold of her arms, whatever spell Merlin had cast wore off.

"You bastard!" She yelled at the sorcerer, and locked eyes with him. She struggled against the strong grip of the knights. She looked around the room as they moved her towards the door. "You're all fools! Can't you see? He's a liar. You'll pay for this!" She continued to yell as they left the room. The door shut behind them of its own accord.

Arthur sat down hard in the nearest chair, and put a hand to his head. He ran it back through his hair and sighed. Gwen came close and placed a hand on his shoulder. The room was dead silent.

"Sire.."

"Not now Merlin. I need some time to think. Leon. Elyan. You are dismissed." The two knights bowed and left the room. Arthur's eyes locked on Gaius's. The old man had remained silent, off to one side of the room, hands folded in front of him.

"Arthur.." Merlin persisted.

"I said not now!" He stood up and glared at the sorcerer, but instead of backing off, Merlin headed towards him.

"Yes. Now." The coldness in his voice took Arthur off guard, and Merlin must have seen the momentary fear in his eyes, because his demeanor changed. "Please Arthur. Just hear me out. Then I'll leave you alone." He paused. "Well actually, I mean, these are my quarters. So if you really wanted to be al..."

"Merlin?" Arthur said tiredly and sat back down.

"Look, I know I shouldn't have sprung this on you, believe me, that was not how I had intended this to go, but..." The sorcerer sat down adjacent to Arthur. "She is like me. We were both born with magic, but she let fear drive her to become what she is. I partially blame your father for that." Arthur glared at him. "Can you imagine the fear she had to live with? Worried that Uther would kill her if he found out she had magic?"

"That wouldn't have mattered." Arthur protested, but as the words left his mouth he knew he was wrong. Merlin simply gave him an 'Oh really?' look.

"And being lied to all her life about who her father was?" Arthur had no response.

The sorcerer sighed. "I also blame myself. Gaius and I knew, suspected that Morgana had magic. I could have helped her, reached out to her, been her friend, but I chose to protect myself, and I let her believe she was alone. Don't you see?" He looked at Arthur. "I could have prevented all of this." He stood up and walked a few steps away.

"All I'm asking, is that you consider the circumstances. I'm not saying she isn't guilty and should go free, but to put her to death? She is still your sister. I have to believe that it is still possible to save her." He looked at Arthur pleadingly. "Just think about it." Without waiting for a response he bowed and left the room.

Arthur, Gwen and Gaius just looked at each other, expressions full of worry and confusion.

* * *

Morgana struggled against her captors the whole way to the dungeon. In her weakened state she really had no hope of breaking free of the knights' grip, but she would not appear weak and go willingly. It also played into the plan, in a way. Not that she still trusted that bastard to keep his word. She could only imagine what lies he was filling Arthur's head with. For all she knew he could be convincing her dimwitted brother to have her executed at dawn.

She had stared in complete befuddlement at the scene that had unfolded. The creepy, evil, insidious being that she had come to fear and loathe this last week had vanished in that room. She had entered the castle thinking that they were all dimwitted fools blinded by hope, but what she had just seen changed everything. He had been submissive, yet authoritative. Deferring to Arthur, rather than challenging him. Stumbling and awkward, like Merlin. When she realized how well the creature played his part, she had lost what little hope she had at convincing Arthur of his true nature.

When Arthur had ordered her to the dungeon and her captor hadn't protested, fear had overtaken her. She had to make them open their eyes and see the truth.

They had reached the lower level. Percival held her tight while Gwaine retrieved the keys from a guard. They headed toward the end of the hall and Gwaine unlocked a cell to their right. Percival led her to the door and let go. Gwaine then shoved her into the cell so violently that she fell to the ground.

"I guess she really is powerless." Gwaine said as the iron bars slammed shut. "I have to say I wasn't inclined to believe the sorcerer, but you wouldn't have let yourself be dragged down here if you could use magic, would you?"

Morgana regained her feet and moved close to the bars and spat at the knights. "You're all fools!" She hissed.

"So you keep saying." Gwaine said and handed the key to Percival after locking the cell. "I'll catch up with you." Gwaine said.

Percival gave Morgana a weary look. "Are you sure?" When Gwaine nodded, Percival gave Morgana one last long look. He sighed and put a hand on Gwaine's shoulder, nodded and headed back.

Gwaine looked at Morgana, standing behind the bars, defiance in every fiber of her being. A cocky smile appeared over his face and he leaned non-nonchalantly against the opposite wall.

"What are you smiling at."

"Oh nothing. Just enjoying having you locked up and at our mercy for a change." His expression changed slightly and he crossed his arms. "But what I have to wonder is what you possibly could have said to Merlin to make him want to spare your life? You did murder and enslave him after all. One would think he'd be a little upset by that."

There was something other than sarcasm in his mocking tone and Morgana picked up on it. Gwaine was serious about wanting to understand the real reason Morgana was alive.

His voice got softer and more serious. "Of course I'm still thinking like his actions are supposed to make sense." He said more to himself than her. "Who knows why he does anything these days."

Morgana watched the tone and demeanor change in the knight and her eyes widened as she picked up on their meaning. "You don't trust him." She said, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice. "Do you?"

"I never said that." He said quickly, defensively. His posture stiffened. "Why would I not trust Merlin?" There was fear in his voice.

She leaned close to the bars. "Because he's not Merlin." She said wickedly. She expected him to protest, to accuse her of trying to turn him against his friend, but he just stood there, so she continued. "I will admit, that display up there was quite convincing. The way he moved, played the humble servant, it almost made me forget the monster that I have been dealing with this past week."

"I, I don't know what you're talking about." She could hear the fear in his voice.

"You see it don't you? He's got everyone else fooled. But not you."

He stood up straight and moved closer to the cell. "You had better watch your tongue, witch." Without waiting for a reply he stormed off.

Morgana sat down. Once again she had a glimmer of hope. It was possible she had found an ally in Gwaine. He might take some convincing, but...she sighed heavily as reality brought her back to her current situation. _If_ Arthur let her live...then she would allow herself to hope.


	4. Chapter 4

Despite the uncertainty of her situation, Morgana had slept well that night. For a moment when she woke she felt rested and at peace, but only for a moment. As the fog cleared, the peril of her situation came back to her. Unlike the last week however, she was comforted by the fact that she was in the castle, albeit the dungeon, surrounded by people. Not alone in a tower with _him._ There were more players in the game now, if she could only think of a way to use them, she might make it out of this situation alive.

She heard footsteps coming down the corridor. She stood up and braced herself against the far wall unsure of what to expect. Two guards stopped at her cell and one began to unlock the door. The other guard quickly deposited a small plate with a chunk of bread on it, then the door was slammed and locked again. The guards didn't say anything, just walked back to their posts. She breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the "breakfast." She was not hungry. She returned to the bed and began trying to think of who she could use and how she could get out of her current predicament. She was so engrossed in thought that she did not notice the figure standing just on the other side of the bars.

"My my." He said playfully.

The voice startled her, causing her to almost fall off the bed. She quickly regained her feet and her anger. "What do you want?" She said crossing her arms.

"My my, so testy this morning. But I guess a dungeon isn't the most comfortable place to spend the night." He waved his hand and the door to the cell swung open, just long enough for him to slither inside, then it closed behind him. She tried to suppress the terror rising in her and hold her ground as he advanced on her. She did not want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her fear, but he picked up on it nonetheless.

"Come now, My Lady. I thought we were past all this? Especially after..." He floated closer to her reaching out to touch her cheek. She flinched away from him.

"You lying bastard! I knew I never should have trusted you."

He gave her a quizzical look as she continued to back away from him. "You said you'd help me, and then you let Arthur lock me up and put me on trial? I'll be dead before sundown!" She couldn't keep fear and desperation from overtaking her. She gripped the wall behind her for support as she tried to hold back the tears and sobs as her body began to shiver. She was angry, at him yes, but more so at herself for having become so weak. The time she had spent as his captive had done something to her, broke her, and she hated it.

She expected him to take advantage of her trapped position against the wall, and she closed her eyes to brace herself for his invasive presence, but it never came.

"Morgana." Something in his voice caught her and compelled her to look at him. He stood a few feet away. "What was I supposed to do? I'm not the King. Arthur gave an order, we all have to follow it."

"You have magic! You don't have to do anything that Arthur says."

He sighed and moved to lean against the wall adjacent from her. He gave her a pitying look. "And what would that have accomplished? You still don't understand do you?"

She looked away from him frustrated at his presence, he had changed his demeanor again, playing the part of Merlin. "You can drop the act. I've seen the real you. This submissive, caring, servant act you have adopted is wasted on me."

He moved towards her at that, a glint in his eye. Morgana immediately regretted saying anything. He stopped within arm's reach and looked at her sadly. He grabbed her chin between his thumb and forefinger. His eyes became hard and his voice was dangerous. "Would you rather I treat you as an enemy? A spoil of war?" He smirked and pushed his body against hers, pinning her to the wall. "If I didn't defend you at all, no one would question me. No one would care if you died this moment. A fate of your own doing; one you would deserve."

"But I do care." He held her gaze and his whole demeanor changed. "Don't you see? Love can be a very powerful weapon. A man, to protect the ones he loves, would do anything. And if someone loves you, they trust you, rely on you. What advantage would I gain by making Arthur and the rest of them afraid of me? I have so much more power, control and influence if they believe I am their friend." An arrogant and satisfied smile spread across his face. He violently let go of her chin and turned away from her.

"Don't worry. Arthur isn't going to execute you. I am a member of the council now. When it comes down to what the punishment for your crimes will be, my opinion carries a great weight with the king." He turned to face her. "However, I expect you to behave. I cannot and will not protect you if you deviate from the plan. Remember, you need to be sorry about betraying _everyone_ and remorseful about the lives you have taken in your misguided quest for power." She snorted and crossed her arms.

His face became placid and expressionless. "Now what you say really will make little difference in your sentencing, however, it will affect the way they see you after the trial. If you want them to trust you, if you want the power and revenge you crave, think carefully about how you answer the court's questions today. You know how to play this game. You did it for years under everyone's nose. I was the only one to see through your disguise. They will be more cautious this time, obviously, but eventually you will worm yourself back into their hearts." He slowly walked towards her, searching for a sign of recognition. "Understand?"

She took a deep breath and tried to suppress her anger and fear, to be strong. What he said made sense, but she couldn't shake the feeling inside her screaming not to trust him. She had two choices, and again survival won out. "I, I understand." She managed to breathe out in a shaky voice looking at the ground. She felt his hand on her face and she stood straight up, her back pressed into the cold bricks.

He smiled at her in a gleefully mischievous way. He didn't say anything for several seconds, just held her face and her gaze. Then something changed in his eyes and his body shifted, pressing against hers. He grabbed her violently around the waist and pulled her into a kiss. She struggled in his impossibly strong grip, unable to pull away as she was pinned against the wall, her cries of protest muffled by his mouth over hers. He pulled away from her violently causing her to lose her balance and fall to the floor.

He laughed and readjusted his jacket, turning to leave. "Rest up My Lady. You will need your strength." He turned on his heel and strode out. As the door shut behind him, he bowed, grinning. She listened to his footsteps retreat down the hall, then slowly pulled herself up onto the small bed where she tried to get her breathing under control.

Not many people knew about the secret passage that ran above the dungeon. It was only large enough for a rat to crawl through. Passage of a person was never its intended use. Voices however, could pass through it easily. A long forgotten tool for the jailers to listen in on their prisoners, lest they plan a revolt.

He had led her into that particular cell for a reason. Now he sat there, unsure of what to do. His suspicions were confirmed, in a way. Anger, and fear, at the revelation flooded him, but also a new sense of dread and urgency. He was not the strategist or planner of the group, and his mind raced with how to proceed.

What could he possibly do? How could he save his friends and the kingdom, from that _thing_? He punched the wall in frustration as a sense of hopelessness came over him. He grimaced at the pain, flexed his fingers and shook his thick dark hair out of his face. He tried to think, to focus his mind, but the only thought that came to him was ' _I need a drink.'_ As a knight he had a duty, he had to tell Arthur what he had heard, the danger they were in. He ran swiftly through the castle.

"Arthur!" Gwaine burst into the King's chambers and stopped dead in his tracks. Arthur was seated at the table with some of the other council members, Leon, Elyan and Percival. They all looked at him intently, but their presence and stares were not what caused Gwaine to pause. Standing right next to the king was the thing masquerading as Merlin.

"Ahh, Gwaine there you are. We were just about to start." Arthur gestured to an empty chair next to Leon.

Gwaine was caught. He couldn't back out of the room so he obeyed Arthur. "Nice of you to show up." Elyan murmured from the other side of him. "You don't stink too badly this time." Gwaine simply scoffed at the implication.

Normally the subject of the meeting, Morgana's trail, would have captivated Gwaine. He had long planned his argument for why the witch should burn. But knowing what he now did about the situation he realized nothing he said would change the course of things. His eyes never left the imposter who stood at the head of the table. He looked for any sign that he could point to show Arthur the truth, but thing in Merlin's skin was good; too good. As the meeting went on, Gwaine found himself becoming angry. Angry at himself, at the imposter, at the predicament he was in. If anyone noticed that his attention was not fully there, no one said anything.

"Well then. Shall we get on with it?" The sound of Arthur's chair scraping against the ground pulled Gwaine out of his musings. "Percival, would you take a handful of guards and bring our prisoner to the meeting hall in about 10 minutes?"

"Aye, my lord." Percival bowed and left the room, the rest of the knights followed except for Gwaine who simply stood there as everyone else also got up and began to exit the king's chambers and he realized that if he didn't warn Arthur now, it would be too late. The only problem was that Arthur stood next to the imposter Merlin. He couldn't confront it there, he had to convince Arthur and the others first…but they were on their way to the trial, he had to convince Arthur not to spare Morgana, as the thing wanted him to.

Gwaine decided to wait and catch Arthur on the way to the meeting hall, he exited the room and stood against a column across the hall and waited. However neither the King nor Merlin exited the room. Panic started to creep into his chest as he thought about what the creature might have done to Arthur he ran back into Arthur's chambers only to find it empty. He looked around confused until he heard the trumpets announcing the trial was beginning. He turned his head in the direction of the sound, and realized his mistake. They had taken the hidden passageway, which was quicker, that linked Arthur's chambers to a secret room near the meeting hall. Gwaine sat in a chair and put his head in his hands. He had failed. He was overwhelmed by the situation he found himself in. _'I need a drink'_ went through his mind. This time, he decided not ignore it.

* * *

He knocked the hilt of his sword against the bars and glared at her. She returned his stare showing no sign that she had been startled or even cared. "Beautiful day for an execution don't you think?" He taunted her.

"If you say so," she answered cooly. She was trying to be brave and indifferent, especially in front of this smug knight, but deep inside she was terrified. She cursed herself for ever agreeing to go along with the monster's plans.

A couple other guards joined Percival as he unlocked the door. "Time to go." Morgana didn't move. "Trust me I have no problem dragging you out of here, by your hair if necessary." She glared at him, standing up, and took a deep breath. She straightened up in her best royal posture and moved purposefully out of the cell. In truth she had expected them to come pull her out of her cell first thing in the morning. Her anxiety had only increased as the hours had passed. As she stood there and let them bind her hands, a strange resolution and calm came over her. She would not grovel or show fear. She maintained this air until she saw the doors to the great hall looming ahead of them. A small twinge of panic tried to take hold, but she pushed it back down and took a deep breath.

When the doors to the great hall opened, it was not what she had expected. She would have thought her trial would have merited half the kingdom gathered in the courtyard to watch her burn. But she had been brought to the great hall and only about 50 people were present. At the front of the room sat Arthur with Gaius, Gwen and Merlin standing on either side. Lined along the wall were the members of the council, and filled into the rest of the room were the knights and a few soldiers. She kept her eyes on her supposed ally, trying to read his emotions. But that was a waste of time. The thing could lie and pretend better than anyone could ever imagine, she wasn't even sure if she could determine the truth anymore, so she had decided not to trust anything he said or did. But his logic about how she should represent herself in front of the court couldn't be denied. Make them feel sorry for her, guilty even. Her brother was a softie after all. So despite her hatred of the dark haired monster standing solemnly next to the King, she had had every intention of playing the sorrowful repentant princess. However when Arthur read her crimes aloud to the room she became indignant.

"What choice did I have? You cannot understand what it was like to live in fear that the man who had raised you, who you loved and looked to as a father, would kill you if he found out the truth. Then I learned that he actually was my father, all these years he had lied to me. What would you have done? Would you not seek revenge against the man who had taken everything in your life away from you?

I didn't choose this. I was born with these powers and I had no one in my life that would understand, no one to talk to, to go to for help or guidance. Then my sister came back into my life and she cared, showed me the truth and tried to teach me about my magic. What did any of you do?" She glared hard at Merlin. "Except try to kill me? What was I supposed to do?"

She took a breath and tried to calm herself down and gave her brother a pleading look, one that always worked on him when they were little. "I never set out to destroy or hurt anyone. I, I'm sorry. I know that there is nothing I can do to redeem my mistakes." She took a calming breath and held his gaze. Until he looked down. She could see the struggle in his posture. Next to Arthur, her supposed ally had a satisfied look on his face and she didn't know whether to be comforted or terrified.


End file.
